As a young, silver-tongued Mississippi girl, Beth Claybourn knew she wanted to be an interior designer. And it was an early mentor—a Paris-schooled interior designer whom Claybourn characterizes as “one of the shrewdest business women I ever met”—who taught her that having an eye for design alone is simply not enough.
“You can be the best designer in the world, but if you don’t know business, you will be a failure,” Claybourn tells Business Report in its Entrepreneur feature from the new issue, recalling the words of her mentor.
Since opening her own business more than 30 years ago, Claybourn’s elite clientele are a testament to her success—not just in Baton Rouge, but across the country. She visits each and every home herself and with the help of her staff brings each client’s vision to life.
Claybourn’s business is predicated on a strong base of recurring customers and her reputation. Her success stems from honesty with her clients. And her reputation precedes her.
“Everybody tries to copy what Mrs. Beth does,” she muses. “I think I’ve achieved that by making my store different.”
Claybourn recently celebrated 30 years in business in Baton Rouge, but she isn’t resting on her laurels. Her 30th anniversary here also coincided with the opening of a long-planned New Orleans location—a roughly 5,000-square-foot space at 401 Tchoupitoulas St. Claybourn spent about $2.5 million renovating the blighted space. In addition to doing her part in the city’s rebuilding effort, she also hopes to capitalize on the New Orleans tourism industry in her new, industrial-style building in the heart of the central business district.
“I want people to go home with a part of New Orleans,” Claybourn says.
Read the full Entrepreneur feature on Claybourn. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
